NORTHFIELD — Norwich University was ranked second on a list of schools considered by security practitioners to be the best in the nation for cybersecurity courses and degree programs.

The Ponemon Institute conducted the survey for Hewlett Packard and compiled a list of the best schools from responses by 1,958 security practitioners, 65 percent of whom said they were at the supervisory level.

Participants in the survey were given a list of 403 colleges and told to rank up to five schools in descending order of preference. Respondents then rated each institution’s cybersecurity degree program from their perceptions of the college’s academic rigor, faculty quality and other measures.

“Obviously, this is a great honor for the University,” Norwich chief information security officer Dr. Peter Stephenson said. “In an era where conventional wisdom suggests that the next war will be fought in cyberspace, it is completely appropriate that the oldest of the senior military colleges should have a strong cybersecurity focus. I am very proud of our excellent faculty and, especially, our outstanding students.”